Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blastomycosis fungal infection signs and treatment in dogs and cats
By Brömel, Catharina & Sykes, Jane E·Published in Clinical techniques in small animal practice·2005·Department of Population Health and Reproduction, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of blastomycosis in dogs and cats.
Plain-English summary
A dog with blastomycosis, a serious fungal infection, may show signs like lethargy, loss of appetite, and fever, along with breathing problems like a chronic cough. This infection is caused by inhaling spores from the fungus and can affect various organs. Diagnosis is usually confirmed by examining tissue samples for the fungus. The main treatment is a medication called itraconazole, which can help improve the dog's condition. Dogs without central nervous system involvement tend to have a fair prognosis, while the outlook is more uncertain for cats.
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Abstract
Blastomycosis is one of the most common systemic fungal diseases in dogs in North America, but it is rarely diagnosed in cats. The typical route of infection is inhalation of aerosolized conidia of Blastomyces dermatitidis. From the respiratory tract, the developing yeast form may disseminate throughout the body and affect multiple organ systems, most commonly the lymphatic, skeletal and central nervous systems, eyes and skin. Disseminated disease often is associated with nonspecific signs of illness including lethargy, inappetence and fever, as well as signs referable to specific organ systems like chronic cough and dyspnea, peripheral lymphadenopathy, endophthalmitis, and central nervous signs. Diagnosis is typically made by detection of Blastomyces dermatitidis yeast in affected tissues by fine-needle aspiration cytology or histopathology. The treatment of choice is itraconazole. Prognosis is fair in dogs without central nervous disease and guarded in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16317913/